Sharp-shinned adult hawk perched on dead cottonwood branch. Branch has some bark and some gray wood showing where bark is missing. Two small vertical branches form a narrow tall vee that partially blocks view of tail. Sharpie's head is bent over backwards, out of sight, as it preens base of tail feathers' upper side. Breast and belly face forward, to viewers' right, and are aimed directly at late afternoon sun. The orange markings on the breast feathers look like an Escher style drawing of a flock of American Kestrels in formation in a fast glide directly overhead. Light blue sky forms the background. Sharpie's sharp "shins" and slender toes are visible, helping distinguish this from the very similar species -- Cooper's Hawk. Tail feathers all appear nearly the same length, another clue this is a Sharp-shinned Hawk rather than a Cooper's Hawk. Cooper's Hawks' tail feathers are progressively shorter toward the outer feathers, with the difference in length roughly the width of the feather. Whether a bird is molting and how their holding their tail at the moment has a great effect on its appearance.
Funny tale leading to the identification of the bird. #accipiter #preening #cottonwood #SharpShinnedHawk #perched
